Golf practice device including a magnet displaceable by a golfer&#39;s swing



June 9, 1964 c. w. DAVIS 3,136,553

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE INCLUDING A MAGNET DISPLACEABLE BY A GOLFER'S SWING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25. 1961 Claude W Davis c GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE INCL-U 3,136,553 DING A MAGNET DISPLACEA BLE June 9, 1964 w. DAVIS BY A GOLFER'S SWING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 25, 1961 INVENTOR Claude W Dar 1 8 United States Patent 3,136,553 GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE INCLUDING A MAGNET DISPLACEABLE BY A GOLFERS SWING Claude W. Davis, 3450 NW. 79th St., Miami, Fla. Filed July 25, 1961, Ser. No. 126,678 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-486) This invention relates to a golf practice device and more particularly to that kind of a device that is secured to the shaft of a golf club to indicate if ones drives are being sliced, hooked or are going straight.

It has long been the desire of golfers, particularly in the north where spring and summers are short, or in climates where there is considerable rain, to have a golf practice device that could be used indoors or any other place where it is impractical for one to actually drive a golf ball because of furnishings or other obstructions or thelack of room. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a golf practice device that can be used under the above stated conditions and yet tell a person exactly what would have happened to their ball had they actually been out on a real golf course.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that can readily be secured to any golf club.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that will not cost very much to manufacture and can therefore be placed on the market to sell at a price that is within reach of every golfer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device so constructed that it will not get out of order.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that does not require any auxiliary equipment or electricity to operate.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that can be kept in the golf bag when not in use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that can readily be modified to have a self contained electric light on the golf club that will light up on imaginary contact With a golf ball.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that will give an audible sound imitating the clubs striking a golf ball.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice device that can be adapted to clubs used and understood by even the smallest of children who desire to improve their game of golf.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of my invention showing it at tached to a golf club.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial exploded view of my invention with its cover removed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a side view of my invention attached a golf club and its position when a ball has been sliced.

FIG. 5 is a side view of my invention attached to a golf club and its position when a ball has been hooked.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the fingers grasping the pull back plate of my invention.

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FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of an optional form of my invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 8-8 of FIGURE 7 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the optional form of my invention showing it attached to a golf club. The phantom lines show club flipped over for the return of the clicking bar to its original position.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the optional form of my invention showing a third modification on its inside with its clicking bar being held by a magnet (original position).

Reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, and in particular to FIGURE 3, there is generally indicated by the reference character 15 a box comprising a bottom 16, along with side members 17 and 18, and an upper end 19 and lower end 20. A front top 21 is spaced from said side members 17 and 18 and removably secured in place after this novel device has been completely assembled and is ready for use.

With the exception of the two end members, 19 and 20, which are steel, the rest of the box 15 must be constructed entirely of nonmagnetic materials for reasons obvious to anyone experienced in an art that requires the use of a magnet.

A rectangular magnet 22 having a pull back bar 23 secured to its front surface is now placed within the aforesaid box 15 whose ends 19 and 20 extend slightly above the pull back bar 23 so that when the front top 21 is secured on the box it will leave an elongated opening 24 in the sides thereof for the stated pull back bar 23 to move in when this practice device is in use.

It can readily be seen on examination of FIGURES 1 and 3 of the appended drawings that the aforesaid rectangular magnet 22 is of such size as to slidably fit into the upper half of the box 15 where its sides 17 and 18 are parallel. An adjusting screw 25 is located in the up per end 19 to give some control to the longitudinal movement of the magnet 22 which is guided in part by reason of the fact that the aforesaid box in which it is placed is but slightly larger in cross sectional dimension (for approximately half its length) than the stated magnet. The sides of the box then flare outward away from each other to their termination at the lower end 20 which is considerably wider than the aforesaid upper end 19 and can clearly be seen on examination of FIGURE 2 of the appended drawing. A lug 26 havingan opening 27 is now secured to the bottom of the box in order to provide a means of attachment of this new and novel device to the shaft of a golf club, noted for the first time by the capital letter C. The golf club is shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 1 of the appended drawing since it naturally is not a part of this invention.

Attention is called at this time to the fact that the front top 21 of the box 5 is provided with an elongated opening 28 near its bottom. The words Slice and Hook are stamped or otherwise marked one on each side of the opening which is for the viewing of the position indicator mark 29.

The form of this invention whose construction has just been described is for registering sliced, hooked or straight drives of a golf ball as will be hereinafter stated.

An optional form of this unique invention is illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8 of the appended drawings where it can be seen that the invention embodies a tube 30 having elongated openings 31 diametrically opposite and parallel to one another and an upper end 32 and lower end 33. The said upper end is provided with an adjusting screw 34. A mounting lug 35 having an opening 36 for a screw or the like is secured to each end of the said tube which contains a slidable magnet 37 to the lower end of which is secured a pill back bar 38 whose ends project through the diameterically opposed elongated openings 31 as shown in FIGURE 7 of the appended drawings.

A still further modification of this invention is illustrated in FIGURE 10 where instead of the magnet 37 being slidable it is in this form replaced by a magnet 39 which is permanently secured to the upper end 32 by means of one or more screws 40. The pull back bar is replaced by a clicking bar 41 which is forced by gravity to the lower end 33 when the club is swung and it will naturally return to the upper end 32 when theclub is flipped over as illustrated by the phantom lines in FIG- URE 9 of the appended drawing. In this tubular form of my invention the tube will of course be of nonmagnetic material for reasons obvious to those experienced in the use of magnets.

The construction of this novel invention in both its original and optional form has now been given in detail. Its use is almost self explanatory since one can readily see from examination of FIGURES l, 4, and 9 of the appended drawings that the box 15 or tube 30 is removably secured to the shaft of a golf club C by means of screws or the like in each opening 27 or 36 of lugs 26 or 35 (depending of course on the form of the invention that is being attached to the golf club).

Whenever a person swings a golf club with the first described form of this invention attached to the same, they will of course have first pulled the magnet 22 to the upper end of the device by means of the pull up bar 23 as clearly shown in FIGURE 6 of the appended drawings where ones finger and thumb are characterized by the reference character 42. The magnet 22 will naturally be held in place by the steel end 19. If the player tends to slice his shots (FIGURE 4) the rectangular magnet 22 will of course move from thetop of the box to its bottom where it will be held by the steel lower end 20 and of course on the right side of the box where one will readily see that the shot was sliced by observing the location of the indicator mark 29 on top of the pull back bar 23 as observed through the elongated opening 28 in the top 21 of the box 15. Should the shot be hooked (FIGURE 5) instead of sliced the rectangular magnet 22 will naturally be thrown over to the left side of the box 15' where its location can be observed in the same manner as for the just described sliced shot. Of course if the shot happens to be a good straight one the rectangular magnet 22 will naturally be stuck in the center of the aforesaid lower end 20.

' It is of course realized that it is the centrifugal force of one swinging the golf club C that actually moves the rectangular magnet 22 from the upper end to the lower end of the'box, and all the steel ends 19 and 20 do is to hold the said magnet 22 in place until relocated by the golfer.

The optional form of this novel invention as illustrated in FIGURES 7 to and including will only give the golfer an audible clicking sound as he swings the club but will not indicate the way the ball would have gone had he or she been out on a golf course.

Although not shown in the appended drawings, it is also possible to place a device next .to the lower end 29 that will actually record on paper or film the exact way each swing of the club is made, that is, if it is a slice, hook or straight shot.

The exact definition of a slice or hook is not given in this specification as it is assumed that anyone having an interest in this device will have a working knowledge of the art of playing golf.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved Golf Practice Device which accomplishes all of the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it will be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a golf practice device of the character described,

7 comprising a box having an upper end and'a lower end of magnetic material, and sides, a back, and a front, of non-magnetic material, the internal width between the sides being greater at the lower end than at the upper end, a lug secured to each end of the said box, the said lugs providing means for removably securing the said box to the shaft of a golf club, the front of the said box being spaced from its sides thereby providing the said golf practice device with a rectangular opening on each side thereof and for the full length of the said box, the said front having an elongated opening near the wide end thereof and the word slice above one end of the elongated opening, and the Word hook above the other end of the same opening, a rectangular free moving magnet which is nearly as wide as the internal width of the upper end of the box, said magnet having a pull back bar mounted on the front thereof, the said pull back bar extending outwardly through the rectangular openings on each side of the said box thereby providing means of returning the said magnet to the upper end of the said box after the said golf club has been swung and centrifugal force moved the said magnet down to the lower end of the said box, and an adjusting screw in the upper end of the said box for controlling the distance of travel of the said free moving magnet, and the said pull back bar being provided with an indicator marker visible through the elongated opening in the front of the said box when the said magnet is at the lower end of the said box after one has swung the said golf club, thereby providing a means for one to know if their ball would have been sliced, hooked or driven straighthad they been on a golf course when the said club was swung.

2. In a golf practice device of the character described, comprising a non-metallic tube having elongated openings diametrically opposite each other and extending the full length of the said tube, steel ends secured to the said tube, a lug secured to each end thereby providing means of securing the said tube to the shaft of a golf club, a free moving magnet having 'a pull back bar mounted on the lower end of said magnet, the said pull back bar ex tending through and beyond the elongated openings in the said tube in which the said magnet is placed, and an adjusting screw mounted in the upper end of the said tube thereby providing means for controlling the actual distance of travel of the said magnet when centrifugal force causes the said magnet to slide to the lower end of the said tube and thereby cause the said pull back bar to come into contact with the lower end of the said tube and make a sound similar to that of a golf club striking a ball when the said club is swung.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,135,648 Stumpf Nov. 8, 1938 2,223,647 Stumpf Dec. 3, 1940 2,592,013 Curley -Apr. 8, 1952 2,843,076 Cook et al July 15, 1958 2,986,937 Chapman June 6, 1961 3,106,403 Kirkman Oct. 8, 1963 

1. IN A GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A BOX HAVING AN UPPER END AND LOWER END OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL, AND SIDES, A BACK, AND A FRONT, OF NON-MAGNETIC MATERIAL, THE INTERNAL WIDTH BETWEEN THE SIDES BEING GREATER AT THE LOWER END THAN AT THE UPPER END, A LUG SECURED TO EACH END OF THE SAID BOX, THE SAID LUGS PROVIDING MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING THE SAID BOX TO THE SHAFT OF A GOLF CLUB, THE FRONT OF THE SAID BOX BEING SPACED FROM ITS SIDES THEREBY PROVIDING THE SAID GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE WITH A RECTANGULAR OPENING ON EACH SIDE THEREOF AND FOR THE FULL LENGTH OF THE SAID BOX, THE SAID FRONT HAVING AN ELONGATED OPENING NEAR THE WIDE END THEREOF AND THE WORD "SLICE" ABOVE ONE END OF THE ELONGATED OPENING, AND THE WORD "HOOK" ABOVE THE OTHER END OF THE SAME OPENING, A RECTANGULAR FREE MOVING MAGNET WHICH IS NEARLY AS WIDE AS THE INTERNAL WIDTH OF THE UPPER END OF THE BOX, SAID MAGNET HAVING A PULL BACK BAR MOUNTED ON THE FRONT THEREOF, THE SAID PULL BACK BAR EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE RECTANGULAR OPENING ON EACH SIDE OF THE SAID BOX THEREBY PROVIDING MEANS OF RETURNING THE SAID MAGNET TO THE UPPER END OF THE SAID 